This page details A Blade in the Dark main story quest in Skyrim, including where to find Delphine in Riverwood, and where to meet her in Kynesgrove to locate the burial site of the dragon Sahloknir.
Sahloknir, A Blade in the Dark, Skyrim.
| Quest Info | Description |
|---|---|
| Objective: | Prove you are Dragonborn by slaying the dragon Sahloknir |
| Quest Giver: | Mysterious Note |
| Prerequisite: | The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller |
| Next Quest: | Diplomatic Immunity |
| Disposition | +3 (Delphine) |
Quest Overview¶
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Talk to Delphine
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Locate the dragon burial site
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Kill the Dragon, Sahloknir
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Return to Delphine
Where to Find Delphine in Riverwood¶
If you didn’t continue the main story after completing The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, don’t worry. You’ll find Delphine waiting for you in the exact same spot in Riverwood; in the secret room in the basement, which can be accessed from the room to the right of the innkeep as you’re facing it.
When you speak to Delphine, she’ll tell you a bit about who she is, and what her intentions are. She won’t reveal much yet, however, as she’s not entirely sure whether she can trust you. For that, you’ll need to kill a dragon at a burial site which Delphine has located. Ask all the questions you want of Delphine, then agree to follow her or make your own way to the village of Kynesgrove, where the dragon burial site is located.
(1 of 4) The location of Riverwood in Skyrim, where Delphine can be found at the Sleeping Giant Inn.
Where to Find the Dragon Burial Site at Kynesgrove¶
The first thing to do before you consider making your way to Kynesgrove is to ensure that you’re prepared to fight a dragon. You’ll need the usual stuff: potions of health / stamina / magicka, and in this case both fire and frost resistance. That’s right - the dragon you’ll be fighting can breathe both fire and frost, so you’ll want to negate the damage you receive from it as much as possible by using both resistances. If you have any armor which enhances fire and frost resistance, make use of it. You might also want to bring along a decent companion, such as Lydia. Be sure to equip them with a decent bow and arrows if you can, but also a decent melee weapon.
It doesn’t matter much whether you follow Delphine to Kynesgrove or make your own way there. However, it’ll be much quicker if you have access to fast travel points near Kynesgrove. The easiest fast travel point is the settlement of Windhelm, which is located just north of Kynesgrove, in the northeast of Skyrim. If you fast travel there, it’s only a short walk south until you reach Kynesgrove. From there, you’ll need to walk a bit more to the northeast to locate the dragon burial site and meet Delphine there.
When you arrive at the burial site, you’ll find Delphine crouched behind a rock. You’ll need to do the same to hide from the dragon Alduin, who is apparently responsible for waking the dragons. The dragon being raised from the dead on this occasion is named Sahloknir, and you’ll hear the two dragons have a brief chat in dragon-tongue while you’re hiding. Eventually, Alduin will make it clear that he knows you’re there, and will speak to you directly. Shortly after, he’ll command Sahloknir to kill you.
How to Defeat the Dragon Sahloknir¶
This fight will strike you as being very similar to your first dragon fight. By now, you’ve probably killed a few more too, or at least faced them in battle. So, you’ll know that almost every dragon that you encounter in a fight has two basic modes of combat: they oscillate between flying and landing, using different attacks depending on which stance they’re in. The major difference between the dragons is the type of attacks that they use in either stance, and in this case the main distinguishing feature of Sahloknir is that he breathes both fire and frost. So long as you’ve followed the above advice and brought gear / potions to with resistances to negate this, you should be fine.
The fight shouldn’t be too difficult since you know what to expect from a dragon. You’ll want to begin damaging with ranged attacks as soon as possible while the dragon is flying through the air, whether it be with powerful spells or a bow. If you’ve invested in archery perks, you’ll probably find that using a bow inflicts more damage overall. If both you and your companion are using one, you can deal a lot of damage in a short amount of time before the dragon lands.
When Sahloknir does land, you can aim for the head and begin chopping away with a one-handed weapon for maximum damage. A dual-wield build will allow for even more damage, but if you want to be more cautious you can reserve your offhand for a restoration spell to heal both yourself and your allies throughout the fight. Delphine does a pretty good job of tanking Sahloknir, so you probably won’t take much damage throughout if you stay behind while she keeps his breath attacks away from you.
(1 of 3) When the dragon is on the ground, hit it with melee attacks as quickly as possible.
If you have weapons upgraded with each of the major crafting skills (Alchemy, Enchanting, and Smithing), you can easily bring Sahloknir down within a minute. Otherwise, it might take you a bit longer, but so long as you heal throughout the fight and make use of both melee and ranged combat depending on Sahloknir’s stance, this fight should be a breeze.
After the fight, you’ll absorb Sahloknir’s soul. Delphine will instantly believe that you’re dragonborn and you’ll have an opportunity to ask more questions before she tells you about her plan to infiltrate the Thalmor embassy, leading into Diplomatic Immunity. Be sure to loot Sahloknir’s body before you leave the area for those valuable dragon bones.
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